Satellite communication systems use a variety of air interfaces. For example, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) specifies Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) satellite systems in standard EN 300 421, version 1.1.2, entitled “Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Framing Structure, Channel Coding and Modulation for 11/12 GHz Satellite Services,” August, 1997, in standard EN 301 210, version 1.1.1, entitled “Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Framing Structure, Channel Coding and Modulation for Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) and Other Contribution Applications by Satellite,” March, 1999, and in standard EN 302 307, version 1.1.2, entitled “Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Second Generation Framing Structure, Channel Coding and Modulation Systems for Broadcasting, Interactive Services, News Gathering and Other Broadband Satellite Applications,” June, 2006, which are incorporated herein by reference. Air interfaces for terrestrial DVB communication is specified, for example, in DVB standard EN 302 755, version 1.1.1, entitled “Frame Structure Channel Coding and Modulation for a Second Generation Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting System (DVB-T2),” September, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Some communication systems perform conversion from one transmission format to another. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,337,464, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a broadcasting system that includes a transmitter, a receiver and a re-formatter. The transmitter is operative to transmit a signal in a first transmission format, the receiver is operative to receive the signal, and the re-formatter is operative to reformat the received signal into a second transmission format. A Set-Top Box (STB) is operative to decode the second-transmission-formatted signal.
Satellite signals are sometimes received and demodulated using Integrated Receiver Decoders (IRDs), which perform both signal demodulation and media (e.g., video) decoding. For example, ComtechTV Tiernan (San Diego, Calif.) offers a family of IRD products called TDR 4000. These products are described in a product sheet entitled “TDR4000 DVBS&S2, IP&ASI Professional Digital Satellite IRD With CI,” document TDR4000-DATA, revision B, which is incorporated herein by reference. As another example, Scopus Video Networks (Rosh Ha'Ayin, Israel) offers a line of IRDs called IRD-2900. These products are described in “IRD-2900—Professional Integrated Receiver Decoders,” revision 2.5, January, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference.